January 13, 2012

Winter never stays long

There are not many places on the east coast with south facing beaches and water that stays warm well into November.

While it is a little confusing to newcomers that the water is to the south and not to the east, it is a very good thing in the winter. If you think about it, having all the tree-covered sand dunes and the Croatan National Forest between you and the north winds is a great thing if you want to stay warm while walking the beach on a cold day. A trip over to the Northern Outer Banks on a windy day will convince most people of the wisdom of my weather observations.

Having south facing beaches also makes for some great sunsets. While a beautiful sunset won't keep you warm, psychologically it will help you survive winter. The brilliant sunsets do present a few challenges. Driving into the sun when you are headed down the beach towards the town of Emerald Isle just when the sun is setting can be an interesting experience. It is not something that you want to try without sun glasses and your car's visor in the down position.

Beyond the south facing beaches, the area's trees really do help to keep us warm in the winter. We are a heavily forested area which is a little unusual for southern beaches. With our home located just off the White Oak River and surrounded by woods, about the only winds that really hit us full force are ones from the southwest. Those are not normally very cold winds.

Winter at the beach isn't such a bad thing for those of us living here. We have the place pretty much to ourselves. There is never a wait for a seat in a restaurant in the winter, and the parking at the grocery stores is a lot less hectic in January than it is in July.

Actually we want our waters to cool off in the winter, because they offer some very welcome cooling usually until the middle of June or early July. With the water as natural air conditioning, late spring and early summer on the Crystal Coast is often a time when we sleep with the windows open while central North Carolina is running their air conditioning.

Winter is not really much of a challenge here on the coast. While we might get some cold weather, I rarely wear anything but Crocs for shoes even in the winter. I cannot ever remember wearing a heavy coat.

Comments

There are not many places on the east coast with south facing beaches and water that stays warm well into November.

While it is a little confusing to newcomers that the water is to the south and not to the east, it is a very good thing in the winter. If you think about it, having all the tree-covered sand dunes and the Croatan National Forest between you and the north winds is a great thing if you want to stay warm while walking the beach on a cold day. A trip over to the Northern Outer Banks on a windy day will convince most people of the wisdom of my weather observations.

Having south facing beaches also makes for some great sunsets. While a beautiful sunset won't keep you warm, psychologically it will help you survive winter. The brilliant sunsets do present a few challenges. Driving into the sun when you are headed down the beach towards the town of Emerald Isle just when the sun is setting can be an interesting experience. It is not something that you want to try without sun glasses and your car's visor in the down position.

Beyond the south facing beaches, the area's trees really do help to keep us warm in the winter. We are a heavily forested area which is a little unusual for southern beaches. With our home located just off the White Oak River and surrounded by woods, about the only winds that really hit us full force are ones from the southwest. Those are not normally very cold winds.

Winter at the beach isn't such a bad thing for those of us living here. We have the place pretty much to ourselves. There is never a wait for a seat in a restaurant in the winter, and the parking at the grocery stores is a lot less hectic in January than it is in July.

Actually we want our waters to cool off in the winter, because they offer some very welcome cooling usually until the middle of June or early July. With the water as natural air conditioning, late spring and early summer on the Crystal Coast is often a time when we sleep with the windows open while central North Carolina is running their air conditioning.

Winter is not really much of a challenge here on the coast. While we might get some cold weather, I rarely wear anything but Crocs for shoes even in the winter. I cannot ever remember wearing a heavy coat.